Til Death Do Us Part
by Candi Cox
Summary: After their death, Lupin and Tonks are reunited with Lily, James and Sirius in the afterlife. Contains some references to slash, some innuendo, and a whole lot of Marauder immaturity.
1. Reunion

All he remembered was pain, wrenching pain. Blinding pain. Then it was gone. There was nothing. No scars, no pain. Peace. Only peace. He felt himself go numb. His body was gone. In its place was only him at his prime: seventeen, with an unlined face and brown hair not yet streaked with gray. He didn't feel alive, exactly. But certainly he wasn't dead. After all, wasn't he analyzing his situation right then?

"Moony? Oh my god!"

"Padfoot?"

Sure enough, Sirius was bounding toward him. His body was older than Lupin's, though not by much. It was Sirius before Azkaban, Sirius back when he was whole. Not bothering to think, Lupin seized his friend into a tight hug.

"Is it really you?" he asked finally.

"Yes. James and Lily are here, too. They should be along any moment now."

"So then, I must be… we must be…"

"Yeah. We've all died."

"What is this place?"

"The dead never leave," said another voice. It was calm and wise sounding. Dumbledore. "We're always with the living."

"We're ghosts?"

"A ghost can interact with and be seen by the living. We are more of guardians, silent guardians. We can't watch or interfere, but we nonetheless guard the living."

"Moony? Lily, Moony's here!" This was James's voice, so much like his son's. Holding Lily's hand, James raced over to embrace Lupin. They both looked to be about seventeen.

"James! Lily!"

Overcome with emotion, Lupin watched them dazedly. Never had he imagined that he would see his friends again. When he finally snapped out of his reverie, Lupin looked around. He was surprised to see them at Hogwarts. They were inside Gryffindor Tower: sight of many of their most memorable hours.

"Dora," he said suddenly. "Where is she?"

"Who?" James looked at him blankly.

"My wife."

"Your wife? Wait a second. By Dora, do you by any chance mean my cousin-once-removed Nymphadora Tonks?"

"Sirius. How many times do I have to tell you, do not ever, and I mean ever, call me Nymphadora!"

"Dora! You're here, you can see us, and so does that mean…"

"Yeah, they got me in the end. I think you died just a second before I did, but I went to see Daddy first. You know what this means, don't you? We're together forever, Remus. Nothing can ever tear us apart now."

"I know, honey. I know." She fell into his arms, and he pulled her close.

"Moony, cut the sap! You haven't introduced us to your wife yet." That was James.

"James!" Lily admonished, "Give them a moment."

"No, don't give them a moment! I want to know how my favorite cousin's daughter got hitched with my werewolf best friend!" Sirius said.

Lupin laughed. "Everybody, this is my wife, Dora."

"Who prefers to be known only by her maiden name, which is Tonks," she added.

"Sirius, as to how your favorite cousin's daughter got hitched with your werewolf best friend, that's a long story. Dora, would you like to tell it or shall I?"

"I will. We were in the Order together, and then we fell in love not long after you died, Sirius. It was another year before Remus decided to quit being a proud, stupid git—"

"Dora," he interjected, "do you really have to word it exactly like that?"

"Yes. You were being a proud, stupid git and you know it."

He sighed. "Okay, I agree. I was a proud, stupid git. But aren't we ready to put that all behind us?"

"Yes, but I thought we should give your friends the full details. Anyway, we all managed to turn him around in the end. So we eloped on the spur of the moment. All was well, except for the war and stuff. But that didn't matter, because we had each other."

"That's so sweet!" said Lily. "I'd hoped Remus would end up with someone. I always thought he deserved it."

"That's not the end, though. You won't ever believe what happened next."

"Let me guess," said Sirius. "You had a neon blue wolf cub who changes to pink when he sneezes?"

"No we didn't!" said Tonks indignantly. "After Remus here was finished running away again, we had a beautiful baby boy who can't quite control his Metamorphogus powers yet."

Sirius snorted. "Same thing!" he said.

"Padfoot!"

"Sorry, Lils. Sorry."

She sighed and rolled her eyes. "I'm so glad you're here, Tonks," said Lily. "I need someone to help me keep the Marauders in line."

"Don't worry, Lily. Dora is good at that," said Lupin.

"Beta male, huh?" said James sympathetically. Lupin nodded. "Tough luck, mate."

"Hey!" said Lily and Tonks in unison.

"But you love being beaten around, Prongs. Admit it!" said Sirius, grinning.

"Yes, I do. Almost as much as you did when you and Moony went out."

"Wait. What?" asked Tonks.

Lupin sighed. He hadn't really been planning on telling Tonks about how he and Sirius had been together for several years.

"Sirius and I were together for a few years. We didn't really tell anyone about it. Then, James sort of guessed. Of course he's teased us mercilessly ever since."

"Especially since," James snickered, "Moony was always bossing Sirius around. In the end it was just _puppy love_ and they tired of _doing it doggy_."

Lily rolled her eyes. "Sometimes I think when they go back to being young after death, they lose the ounce of maturity that they ever had. So anyway, Tonks. Have you met Harry?"

"Of course! You'd be proud of him. He's a brilliant wizard, all around a good kid."

Lily leaned conspiratorially toward Tonks. "Does he have a girlfriend?" she asked.

"No, but almost. A redhead, if you could imagine. Ginny Weasley."

"Ginny Weasley? Molly and Arthur's daughter?"

Tonks nodded.

"Wonderful! I've always loved that family."

The Marauders were watching the women converse. "And they say we're immature!" said Sirius. "There they go, gossiping like a bunch of schoolgirls."

"Not gossiping. Just talking."

"Sorry to break up your _talking_, but Dobby the House-Elf recently joined the cooking squad here and I'm eager to try out what he's made us."

"We have food here? But we're dead!" Lupin pointed out.

"Silly. It's for fun! We eat delicious meals because they taste good."

"Oh. Well in that case… come on, let's go!"

He felt Tonks hop onto his back and fling her arms around his neck. Lupin felt more content than he had in a long time. He didn't know about the war, and it didn't matter. The castle was quiet. Nearly-Headless Nick passed them, saying a bright hello.

"You know what I want?" Tonks said.

"What?"

"It's a full moon tomorrow. I want to go out with you and watch the moon rise, and let you see how beautiful it is."

"Marauder camping trip!" said Sirius, coming up behind them.

"Yeah! I'm in!" said James.

"I didn't really mean it as a Marauder camping trip," Tonks muttered in Lupin's ear.

He reached up and squeezed her hand. "I know, darling. I didn't, either. But we've got an eternity of full moons now, and it doesn't matter. There's one thing I know, though."

"Oh? What's that?"

"No full moon could ever be more beautiful than you, and you're right in front of me forever."

"'Til death do us part," said Tonks with a grin.


	2. The Camping Trip

**A/N: **_**Fine**_**, I've been convinced to write another chapter, with a few more on the queue. Get ready for some more chronic immaturity. In fact, there's even more chronic immaturity because we have a new Marauder! Here's their camping trip. Read, enjoy (or don't) and reviews are always appreciated! **

"So, Moony, where are we going camping?" Sirius asked over dinner.

"Did you ever think that maybe Remus and Tonks didn't want everyone along on the camping trip?" Lily asked.

James and Sirius looked at each other. "Of course Moony wants us along! Geez, Lily, it's called a _Marauder_ camping trip for a reason!" said James.

From across the table, Lily rolled her eyes. _Boys. So clueless!_ She mouthed. Tonks snorted into her potatoes.

"Everything all right?" Lupin asked.

"Yes, everything's fine, Remus," said Tonks.

"All right then. So where did you want to go camping?"

"Oh, it doesn't matter. Wherever you want is fine."

"We should go to your graveyard!" Sirius said to James. "Imagine how creepy it would be with the tombstones and the full moon!"

"Yeah! Is that okay with you guys?"

"No! That's so creepy! Let's go to the Burrow instead. They've got a hill there that's perfect for stargazing."

"Girls are so wimpy!" Sirius complained.

"Sirius! That's my wife you're talking to!"

"Sorry, Prongs. Fine. We can go to the stupid hill."

"So do you guys live at Hogwarts full time?" Tonks asked.

"Nah," said James. "Usually we go back home. Or, wherever. But we've been here for awhile to get news from the ghosts."

"I see. We should go back home, Remus," she said. "I know we can't actually see Teddy but it would feel good to be close to him."

"Yeah, I agree. We can stay here awhile longer, though."

"You know something cool, Moony?" Sirius interrupted.

"What?"

"You never get old, sick or tired here. That means, no matter how much firewhiskey I have, I never have to go to bed and I never get hung over in the morning."

"Imagine having to put up with the two of them for two years and have no company," Lily said to Tonks.

She laughed. "I can only imagine. It's a good thing we've got each other now."

"Lily!" James hollered. "Let's go home!"

"No way, Prongs! You can't leave this early!"

"Sorry, Padfoot. But I want to get home and have some alone-time with my wife."

"I think we should get going, too," Lupin said.

"Guys!" Sirius pouted. "Quit being so lame. What about me?"

"Go find yourself a girlfriend for the night, Padfoot. We'll see you later."

He brightened at that idea. "Okay! I'll see you all tomorrow!"

Lupin and Tonks left soon after the Potters. "I'm sorry about how tomorrow night turned out," Lupin said.

"You haven't seen either one of them in years. It's understandable that they would want to be together. Don't worry about me. Lily and I will have fun as you guys do your Marauder stuff."

He kissed her forehead. "Thanks. I swear I'll make it up to you."

"Oh?" she looked up seductively at him with sapphire-blue eyes. "And how will you do that?"

He laughed and took her hand. "Don't worry, darling. I'm sure I'll find a way. Now what do you say we get home?"

They gathered at mid-afternoon the next day. Sirius had apparently taken James's advice and found himself a girlfriend. Her name was Delia and she clung to his arm with the sort of wide-eyed admiration that Sirius so loved. Usually, Sirius's flings lasted only a night. It appeared that he had extended the length for Delia so that he wouldn't be fifth wheel on their camping trip.

"All right, everyone ready? Let's go!"

Together, they Apparated to the hill by the Weasleys' house.

"Looks like they've added a few stories," Lily commented.

"Let's go see!" said James.

"Are you sure we should go in there?" Lupin asked, concerned.

Sirius waved him off. "We're dead!" he said. "They'll never know."

"Well, okay. If you're sure."

"I am. Now let's go!"

The hill was steep and rocky. Their progress was slow, though Sirius and James were able to transform into a dog and stag, respectively. Lily rode on James's back. They left Delia, Lupin and Tonks to fend for themselves.

"Here, why don't you take my arm?" Lupin said to Tonks.

"Do you doubt my ability to make it down this hill?" she asked with a grin, taking his hand. Years of tripping, falling and breaking things had given Tonks the ability to laugh at her own clumsiness.

Several minutes later, they reached the bottom of the hill. James, Sirius and Lily were waiting for them. "It's about _time_!" said Sirius. Without waiting for anyone else, he loped toward the Burrow. Everyone else was quick to follow. They pushed open the door, and began to wander through the rooms.

"Who's there?" called a voice from upstairs.

"Do you dare question the Marauders?" James called back recklessly. "We're Moony, Padfoot, and Prongs, and we're here with our women to tour this house."

"Marauders? _Marauders?_ Oh my God! Marauders! I'll be right down!" They heard a scurrying of footsteps, apparently running down stairs.

"I wonder who that is," Tonks said.

"I don't know, but whoever it was seems eager to meet us."

Several seconds later, a red-haired teenage boy stood before them.

"Fred?" Lupin said. The boy nodded, before kneeling before them.

"It's an honor to meet you, noble Marauders, together in whole except for the nasty traitor, Wormtail. May I have the pleasure of showing you my humble estate?"

"Get up, Fred," said Lupin. "Since when do you worship us?"

"You don't understand. Ever since George and I found the Marauder's Map, we've dreamed of meeting the Marauders. Finding that Lupin and Sirius were two of them was enough of a shock but now, to see all three standing before me, it's like waking up and finding Jesus by your bed asking if you take cream in your coffee."

"You found our map?" James asked. Fred nodded. "Did you put it to good use?"

"We like to think so. Harry has it now, though."

"Excellent! In that case, it's an honor to meet you, second-generation Marauder. I'm Prongs."

"Fred. Fred Weasley."

"He needs a nickname," Sirius interrupted.

"Carrot top?"

"Prongs, is that seriously the best you can come up with?"

"Yep."

"Fine. We'll do names later. Anyway, Fred, are you coming camping with us?"

"A M-M-Marauder camping trip?" Fred gasped.

"Yep."

"My God. It's like I died and went to heaven! George would be so jealous."

"George? Is that your henchman?" James asked.

"Twin, but I guess you could call him a henchman. You'll probably meet him in a couple decades. So where are we going camping?"

"The hill by your house, if you don't mind."

"Mind? Of course I don't mind! I've even got firewhiskey!"

"Well then, you're officially in the club!" Sirius said.

The seven of them, each carrying a case of firewhiskey, climbed back up the hill. Tonks leaned heavily on Lupin for most of it. Eventually, he let her ride on his back for the rest of the way. Everyone was panting and sweaty when they reached the top. They set the firewhiskey down and collapsed in the grass. (Except for Tonks, who collapsed on Lupin, and Lily who collapsed halfway on James and halfway on the ground.)

"So, Fred, think you can out-Marauder the Marauders? Tell us your best prank," James said, lazily stroking Lily's cheek.

"Well, there was the time when we set up a swamp in the middle of the hallway…"

Over the afternoon, the Marauders and Fred swapped tales from their Hogwarts days. Delia listened with rapt attention, smiling adoringly up at Sirius every time he told a particularly heroic tale. Lily and Tonks soon tired of hearing stories that they'd both heard thousands of times. They sat off to one side, just talking. It had been awhile since Tonks had had a similarly aged friend to talk to. She was surprised by how quickly it seemed she had known Lily.

Lupin sighed. Once Sirius and James started their storytelling, it would go on for hours. Today, in particular, they had found an eager audience in Fred and Delia. He noticed that Tonks and Lily had wandered off together. Bored, he decided to go find them. They were on the other side of the hill, laying on their stomachs and talking about who knows what.

"Hey," Lily called. "Did you get sick of reliving the glory days?"

He laughed. "You know how those two are. Once they've found an audience, there's no stopping them."

"Come over here with us instead!" Tonks called. "The view's better, anyway."

"Course it is. I'd rather look at you two than those four any day. Though, I must admit, Sirius could have done worse than Delia."

"Hey! I'll bet Delia can't do this!" Tonks morphed into a fairly good likeness of the star of the latest _Witches Gone Wild_ magazine. "And I was talking about the sunset, anyway."

He lay down beside her. "Don't worry, darling," he said. "Delia can't compare with you, no matter what form you're in."

"Even this one?" She turned into a gray-haired old witch with moles all over her face.

"Mmm, well, I do prefer some over others…"

"Tonkslilymoonyfirepit!" James yelled.

"My ever-articulate husband calls," Lily said wryly.

The three of them climbed back to join the rest of the group. Someone had made a fire. What little firewhiskey hadn't been consumed was being poured into the fire. Fred, Sirius and James watched the flames leap up as they consumed the alcohol, laughing manically. Lupin, Tonks and Lily watched the three of them, laughing manically. Delia alternated between pouty, seductive comments and hysterical, high-pitched giggles.

Despite himself, Lupin had a good time. He had missed the good old days of Marauder youth when something as small as a fire pit could amuse them for hours. Fred certainly fit into their group well. Finally, it felt like four Marauders again.

The moon was rising, but Tonks seemed to be the only one to notice. She hadn't pictured the night going like this, but it was okay. At least she'd had Lily. No matter what she might say, she was happy to see Lupin reunited with his friends. Cold, she scooted onto Lupin's lap. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close to himself.

Almost before they knew it, the night had faded to morning. Tonks was asleep in Lupin's arms. Though he knew better than to say it, she was getting heavy after being in the same position for hours. Nevertheless, Lupin was loathed to move her. She always looked adorable when she slept: eyes shut, hair tousled around her face, and lips turned up in a small smile.

Except for Lily, everyone else had either fallen asleep or passed out. As usual, Lily and Lupin were left to be the responsible ones.

"You guys look so cute right now," Lily commented. "I wish you could see yourself."

"It's all her fault," Lupin murmured, stroking Tonks's pink hair. "She can make anyone look cute."

"Yeah, but something's changed, too. Last time I saw you, you were always so serious. I think she's good for you. Quite a change from when you and Sirius were together."

He smiled at the memory. "Sirius was different. I don't think I could spend all eternity with him. Now, right here, I finally get what James meant when he talked about you. If nothing ever happened except for this, I think I'd be happy."

"Does that mean you wouldn't want this?" said Tonks sleepily. She shifted her position and kissed Lupin full and hard on the lips.

"Well, no, I certainly don't mind that," he said when they broke apart. "Good morning, by the way. Did you sleep well?"

"Mmhmm. I had a really comfortable bed. Sorry about that, by the way. There's only a certain amount of Sirius-talk that I can stand before I fall asleep."

Laughing, he kissed the top of her head. "I think we can all relate to that," he said.


	3. Written in the Stars

"It's a full moon tonight," Tonks commented over breakfast.

"I know. Would you like to do what we'd planned last month?"

"Yeah, I would. Just the two of us, if you don't mind. I mean, I love your friends, but I could use a break from them."

Lupin laughed. "To be honest, me too."

By early afternoon, they had arrived at the site of the Quidditch World Cup. The open land rolled in gentle hills. Heather dotted the landscape.

"This is beautiful," Lupin said.

"So are you."

"And you."

She took his hand. Lupin could feel her cool, soft palm against his rough one. Together, they wandered around the plain. Lupin had never been too religious. Now, for the first time, he found himself believing in heaven.

"Look, the sun's starting to set," she said.

Sure enough, the blue sky was turning a red-streaked lavender. A cricket chirped in the distance. Their chests rose and fell as one. Lavender sky became a dusty navy. Upon seeing the moon, Lupin tensed. It was an instinctive reaction. He'd been a werewolf for too long to overcome the fear just yet.

"Ssshh, you're all right," she murmured as if he were a child again. "You're not a werewolf anymore."

"I know. Old habits die hard, though."

"Maybe you just need something to take your mind off of your fear."

"Oh? And what do you suggest?"

If it hadn't been dark, Lupin would have seen the flirtatious wink and the inviting grin. Left blind, he relied on touch: the feel of her hands pulling him close, the feel of their mouths greeting like old friends. The feel of her skin as he slid his hands up her back. His sense of smell seemed sharper, too. Lupin inhaled the scent of cool nights and untainted grass, inhaled a scent that was all her. He heard their breath speed up and the wind running through their hair.

"Look at the moon now," she whispered. "Isn't it beautiful?"

"Yeah. It is."

He rolled down onto his back and pulled her down with him. She took his hand, tracing a pattern in the air.

"What's that?" he asked her.

"Our names, written in the stars forever. Because not even in death do us part."

**A/N: There was my chapter of absolute nothingness. I have a couple more planned. I'm sort of thinking of showing Harry and Teddy dying and joining the Marauders, and after that showing Snape and Lily forgive each other, Harry forgive Snape and possibly even James, Sirius and Snape forgive each other. That could be a stretch, though. Thoughts?**


	4. Down at the Lake

A/N: I've always hated this story. Every chapter, I think _okay, this will be the last one_ but somehow, it never quite ends. I hope this one answers some questions that my reviewers are asking. And yes, after this one, there will be more. Some of them might even have action. Enjoy!

"So, uh, is there an actual point to this?" Lupin asked.

Sirius looked up from his dinner in surprise. "Point to what?" he asked.

"This. Everything. We're dead. And now we just stay in heaven forever, enjoying life and doing absolutely nothing?"

"Yeah. Pretty much. Great, isn't it?"

"What about Teddy? What about the war? I know it's over, but what about everything that's going on now? This month has been so unreal, like a dream or something. I can forget everything for awhile but I can't keep up with it forever."

"He always was the worrier," James said to Sirius.

"James!" said Lily sharply. "Don't either of you remember what happened when you died? We were all worried sick over Harry, and over everything."

"No way! I didn't worry about Harry. What is there to worry about?"

Lily only rolled her eyes. "They don't remember, but trust me, Remus, they were worried. Worried sick. We all were. But you know something? Either way, it'll be okay. If Teddy died, you would be with him again, and that would be good. If he lives a long and happy life, which he probably will, you'll see him again anyway. As for the rest? There's absolutely nothing you can do. Why worry?"

Lupin gnawed at a piece of bread, considering. "Maybe because, as James pointed out, I'm a worrier. Or maybe because I can't stand the thought of not being there to take part in the action."

"Hey, look, I can get three pieces of bread in my mouth!" said Fred.

"Nice one, Rabbit!" James said approvingly.

"Do we really have to put up with this forever?" asked Tonks.

"Yep. You'll get used to it," said Lily with a smile. "Seriously, Remus, I know it's hard at first, but eventually you'll learn to let it all go."

"You think?"

"I know. Trust me, we've done it before."

He smiled gratefully at her. "Thanks, Lily," he said.

The next day, Lily, Tonks, Lupin, James, Sirius and Fred went back to Hogwarts to spend a day by the lake. The water was warmer than it had been when they were in school. Lazy hours were spent swimming, splashing and laying in the sun. Come one o'clock, everyone began to grow hungry.

"I'm going to get something to eat," Lily called. "Would anyone like me to bring them back something?"

"Let's see. I want a hamburger and some firewhiskey, okay?" Sirius answered. "Hey, everyone, let's have a splash fight. Boys against girls!"

"Hey! No fair!" Tonks said indignantly.

"Sorry, Tonks. But Marauders always stick together."

Lupin splashed her. The water hit Tonks full in the face. "I'm gonna get you, Remus!" she cried.

Wading through the water, Tonks began to chase him. Fred tried to sneak up behind her; she turned around and splashed him. Just as she was in range of Lupin, James and Sirius, Tonks tripped over an underwater boulder. She pitched forward, landing face first in the water and managing to swallow a good bit of it. Lupin took the opportunity to grab her by the waist and hold her under the water.

When she finally managed to break free, Tonks began to punch Lupin. He stood there, laughing and letting her hit him.

"Yeah, nice one, Moony!" called Fred. "Boys win!"

"They're hopeless, aren't they?" she muttered to Lupin. He nodded, grinning. "Whatever. I think I'll go see if Lily needs any help carrying the food."

"Giving up so quickly?" James called as she stumbled out of the water.

"No, just going back to get reinforcement. Lily and I could beat you any day!"

"Oh, it's on! Be back in twenty minutes then."

Rolling her eyes, Tonks pulled a towel around herself and started walking toward the castle. Five minutes later, she was inside the Great Hall. Dobby and the other house elves had filled the tables with a buffet-like spread. She was surprised to see Lily standing at the opposite end of the hall, talking to a skinny eleven-year-old boy with long, black hair.

"Lily!" she called.

Lily looked up. "Oh, hey, Tonks!" she said something to the boy. When he nodded, Lily gestured for Tonks to come over. She did so, knocking her thigh on a table as she walked.

"Is this a friend of yours?" Tonks asked Lily.

"Yeah. Tonks, this is Severus. I'm sure you remember him."

"Severus? Snape? The traitor? Lily, he killed Dumbledore and almost got Harry, too."

"No, you're wrong. You're all wrong. Sev and I were friends back in Hogwarts, then there was a misunderstanding so we weren't anymore. He killed Dumbledore because Dumbledore asked him to. He would never, ever kill Harry."

Tonks's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "You really believe his excuses?" she asked.

Lily nodded.

"I don't believe this. I thought you were smarter than that, Lily."

"Yeah? Well, I thought you were supposed to be more open-minded. Isn't that why you were a Hufflepuff in the first place? Accepting everyone? Not judging people?"

"How do I know for sure that you're telling the truth?"

"I didn't believe it either. But Sev and I met up, and we were talking, and he told me the story. Then Dumbledore came, and he confirmed it. If you don't trust Snape or me, can you at least trust Dumbledore?"

She nodded. "Yeah, I guess so. I'm sorry, Severus. Sorry for everything. Even sorry for the times in school when I skipped Potions so that I could sneak outside with my friends. Do you think we could sort of start over?"

"Just don't tell your _friends_ that I'm here."

"I won't. Don't worry. Speaking of my friends, I should be getting back to them. Are you coming, Lily?"

She looked to Snape.

"I was thinking of going to see Dumbledore anyway," he said. "You two go ahead."

"Wow. That was a shock," Tonks commented as she and Lily started to walk back to the lake.

"I know. I was really glad, though. Sev and I were best friends as kids, and then some things happened. At least now we have a chance to be friends again."

"I wonder why he's so young. Why is it that we all ended up in the bodies that we did?"

"I think," said Lily thoughtfully, "It's because this is when we were happiest and healthiest. For us, it was when we were older. For Sev, it was when we were friends growing up and he hadn't met James, Sirius or those Death Eater friends of his."

"Do you think James or Sirius could ever forgive him?"

"No. Not now at least. I was thinking of telling Remus, though. I'd like more people to know that he was good."

"I can tell him tonight," Tonks offered. "I know he'll keep a secret."

"Thanks. Now what do you say we go bring the boys their firewhiskey and watch them try to drown each other?"

She laughed. "Sounds like a plan."


	5. Old Scars

"Isn't there something you can do?" Ginny asked anxiously.

"I'm afraid not," said Healer Malfoy.

"No! Dad, you can't die!" This time, it was Lily who spoke.

"Listen to me. I'm an old man. I've lived my life. Now it's time for the next adventure. Even when I'm gone, I'll always be with you. I love you all."

"We love you, Dad," said James, uncharacteristically somber.

With his last ounce of strength, Harry reached for Ginny's hand. It was almost as knotted and wrinkled as his own. He felt peaceful. Last time, eighty years ago when he had gone to the woods to sacrifice himself to Lord Voldemort, Harry had escaped death. This time, he knew he would not be so lucky. He closed his eyes, and in a minute, his heart had stopped.

Harry never saw Healer Malfoy, son of his old school enemy, reach down to take his pulse. He didn't see Albus embrace Ginny, or Lily collapse into James's arms. There was no way to tell him that the next day, the Daily Prophet had a ten page obituary for him, or that every wizard in Britain, not a few Muggles, and scores of foreign wizards had gathered in Godric's Hollow at his funeral.

Instead, he felt himself being lifted away from his body. Everything went foggy, before blacking out entirely. When Harry awoke, he was in a room that was both familiar and new at the same time.

"Where am I?" he asked to no one in particular. He looked down. His hands were no longer veined and knotted. Instead, they were smooth and slightly calloused. His knees no longer ached with the pain of old age. If he had looked in the mirror, Harry would have seen himself as a young man again, not yet thirty.

"Who's there?" a voice called from upstairs.

"Harry. Harry Potter. I don't know where I am, and I'm sorry to trespass, but I just sort of ended up here…"

There was a shriek, followed by several others. Harry heard the pounding of feet against wood above him.

Lily and James were in front. Sirius, Fred, Tonks and Lupin hung behind.

"Mum? Dad?" Harry asked. The family hugged each other tightly, never wanting to let go. Only after several minutes did Harry notice the others standing with huge grins on their faces. Pulling free from his parents' grasp, he went to Lupin first, then Fred, Tonks, and Sirius last.

"You've had no idea how much I missed you, Harry," said Sirius. "But I'm really glad it took this long for me to see you again."

Harry laughed. "I am, too. Nobody really thought I'd make it to my seventeenth birthday, but it's been a bit longer than that and I'm glad."

"So tell us about everything! Sit down!" Lily gestured to a chair. They sat down, listening with rapt attention as Harry told of his adventures. He heard about the adventures taking place in the afterlife, away from all the stress of war and death that had plagued the living world for so long. It was late by the time conversation ceased and the only sound in the room was the ticking of a clock.

The next morning, Sirius and James tried to convince Harry to join them for a game of Quidditch. Uncharacteristically, he declined. There was something he had to do, something so much more important than a game. There was, after all, an eternity for that. Harry's task was one that had been put off for far too long.

He knew that Dumbledore would be at Hogwarts. The former headmaster had devoted a lifetime to the school. He would guard it in death, too. Dumbledore, wise as ever, could at least point him in the right direction.

Inside the Great Hall, Harry was struck by how quiet it was. In his school days, and later when he came back for the occasional lecture or for his children's graduation, the hall had always been bustling. Now, his footsteps echoed against the stone floor and sent shivers through his spine.

"Harry Potter?" The voice was high and squeaky. Harry couldn't see where it came from until the little elf came dashing out from behind a statue. Dobby's style was as flamboyant as ever. He wore a plaid tie, pinstriped shorts, one pink sock and one blue, and a bowler hat perched jauntily over his head.

"Dobby?"

The elf nodded and bowed to Harry. Gently, Harry lifted him up. "Don't bow, Dobby. I should be the one bowing to you. All these years, I never forgot what you did for us. How you died for us. If there's ever anything I can do to repay you, let me know."

"No, Harry Potter, we're even now. You first rescued me from the Malfoys, and I in turn saved your life. The debt is repaid. Now, would you care for some food?"

"No, thank you. I just came to see Dumbledore. I assume he's still here?"

Dobby nodded. "He's in his office."

"Thanks, Dobby. I'll see you later."

"Goodbye, Harry Potter," said the elf with a wave.

Harry hurried to Dumbledore's office. Realizing that he didn't know the password, he stood for a moment, thinking. Luckily, Dumbledore came out. Seeing Harry, he began to hurry.

"Harry! Welcome!" he said.

"Hello, Professor."

"Would you care to join me for a drink? I'd be delighted to hear of all your grand adventures."

"No, thank you, Professor. There's something I need to do first. Do you know where Severus Snape is?"

Dumbledore smiled at Harry. "Now, that would depend on your intentions."

"If I wanted to tell him I'm sorry, where might I find him?"

A little hesitantly, Harry knocked on the cherry wood door. It was Snape's childhood home. He had returned there to live in relative peace, Harry hoped. With a creak, the door swung open. Though he was younger than Harry had ever seen him, there was no mistaking Snape.

"What do you want?" young Snape snarled.

"To say I'm sorry. I didn't realize everything you did for me. If it weren't for you, I probably would have died a long time ago. I'm not asking for forgiveness. I just wanted to say thank you."

"Are you going to tell your father you came here?"

Harry thought for a moment. "Mum, yes. Not Dad, though. I don't think it would do any good. There are too many old scars."

Snape was quiet for a moment before extending his hand. "Indeed. Scars don't ever fade completely. Thank you for dropping by, Potter," he said. "And say hello to your mum for me."

Harry smiled and shook Snape's hand. "I will," he said.


End file.
